An embodiment of the present invention provides a device, comprising a multilayered tunable dielectric capacitor, wherein the multilayers of tunable dielectric are adapted to be DC biased to reduce the dielectric constant; and wherein the DC bias is arranged so that the number of layers of tunable dielectric biased positively is equal to the number of layers of tunable dielectric biased negatively.
An embodiment of the invention further provides a method, comprising reducing the losses due to electro-mechanical coupling and improving Q in a multilayered capacitor by placing a first capacitor layer adjacent at least one additional capacitor layer and sharing a common electrode in between the two such that the acoustic vibration of the first layer is coupled to an anti-phase acoustic vibration of the at least one additional layer.
Still another embodiment of the present invention provides a multilayered tunable capacitor, comprising a first voltage tunable dielectric layer, at least one additional voltage tunable dielectric layer adjacent to the first voltage tunable dielectric layer and sharing a common electrode in between the two, and wherein any acoustic vibration of the first voltage tunable dielectric layer caused by the application of combined AC and DC voltages is coupled to a corresponding acoustic vibration caused by the application of the combined AC and DC voltages to the at least one additional voltage tunable dielectric layer, thereby reducing acoustic losses and improving Q.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides, a device, comprising a single layered varactor consisting of at least two capacitors connected in series to an RF signal and adapted to reduce acoustic losses and improve Q. The adjacent electrodes of the at least two capacitors may be positioned to vibrate in opposite phases thereby reducing acoustic losses and improving Q. Further, a DC bias may be applied across the at least two capacitors from a top to a bottom electrode.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a method, comprising reducing the acoustic losses and improving Q in a single layered varactor by connecting at least two capacitors in series to an RF signal so that adjacent electrodes of the at least two capacitors vibrate in opposite phase. In the present method, the DC bias may be applied across the at least two capacitors from a top to a bottom electrode and the at least two capacitors may produce acoustic waves of the opposite phase which cancel and wherein by placing a first capacitor adjacent to at least one additional capacitor, the acoustic wave of the first capacitor may be coupled to and cancel an opposite phase acoustic wave of the at least one additional capacitor.
Still another embodiment of the present invention provides a device, comprising at least two capacitors connected in series to an RF signal and adapted to reduce acoustic losses and improve Q, wherein adjacent electrodes of the at least two capacitors may be positioned to have maximal interimposing of acoustic vibrations with opposite phases thereby reducing acoustic losses and improving Q. The DC bias may be applied across the at least two capacitors in opposite directions.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a tunable capacitor, comprising a plurality of voltage tunable dielectric layers acoustically coupled together and sharing a common conductive electrode between adjacent the tunable dielectric layers, a plurality of outer conductive electrodes on the outer surfaces of the tunable dielectric layers forming a plurality of acoustically-coupled capacitors, and an applied DC bias on each of the capacitors such that the number of positively-biased capacitors equals the number of negatively-biased capacitors. The present device may further comprise an applied RF signal between the top and bottom electrodes.
Lastly, an embodiment of the present invention may provide a tunable capacitor, comprising multiple single-layer capacitors connected in series to an RF signal, wherein the single-layer capacitors are in close lateral physical proximity and are acoustically coupled together and wherein a DC bias is capable of being applied to each capacitor such that the electric fields on equal numbers of the single-layer capacitors are in opposite directions.